Tokyo in One Day: Shinjuku Station & Shibuya Station — Guide Masa

Title: What Can You See on a Private One-Day Anime and Culture Tour of Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of colleagues visiting Japan from Europe, all on their first trip to Japan. Before arriving in Japan, they had spent about two weeks in North America, then flew to Japan the previous evening. They planned to stay in Japan for a couple of weeks, visiting Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara in addition to Tokyo. They had mentioned an interest in Japanese "anime" and "otaku culture."

It was a tour under the worst possible weather, cloudy with occasional heavy downpours. The pickup point was a capsule hotel in Shinjuku (a first-time experience for me as a guide, though many foreign travelers appeared to be staying there). The guests had large suitcases and wanted to first drop them off at the hotel in Ikebukuro where they would be staying that night, so we went from Shinjuku Station to Ikebukuro Station first. After that, we returned via Ikebukuro Station and headed to Asakusa.

As always, it was crowded with large numbers of visitors. We started from in front of Kaminarimon Gate. I explained about "Sensoji Temple and the history from Edo to Tokyo," "what the five-story pagoda is for," "what Buddhism is," and "the difference between Buddhism and Shinto." We took commemorative photos in front of Kaminarimon Gate and strolled slowly along Nakamise shopping street. There were questions such as "What are the main religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?"

We then went to the Akihabara electronics district. I explained about "the history of the electronics district." Pokemon figures were purchased. There was a question about "maid cafes" and what kind of places they are. Many "Pokemon goods" were purchased.

We moved on to Harajuku and Meiji Shrine. I explained about "Shinto," "the torii gate," "Emperor Meiji," and "why wine barrels are displayed there." There were questions such as "What kind of teaching is Shinto?", "When did Shinto originate?", and "How many shrines are there in Japan?" We took a break for a while at the cafe terrace at Meiji Shrine. We also strolled slowly along Takeshita Street, Cat Street, and Omotesando.

Then we went to Shibuya. First, we looked down on Scramble Square from the entrance of the Keio Inokashira Line platform and took photos, then actually crossed the intersection. There was also a question, "Why do so many people gather here?" We took photos in front of the Hachiko statue as well. At the guests' request, we visited the Pokemon Center at Shibuya Parco.

There were also comments and questions such as "Tokyo felt clean and extremely safe, even at night," "Why are there no trash cans on the streets?", "I think the Tokyo subway is very well made," and "The public restrooms are wonderful." I saw them off at Ikebukuro Station, where we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Masa

Guiding career:
Guide work started in July 2022. A guide focused on FIT compliance.
FY2022 results: 17 cases, FY2023 results: 97
Destinations: Various places in Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikko
As a recent group travel record, in October 2023, we have a track record of guiding a group of 33 people from Singapore to Narita Airport transfer plus sightseeing in Tokyo.
Self-introduction:
In the past, I was stationed in Canada, the United States, and Mexico as an expatriate of a Japanese bank for over 11 years.
Since I have been mainly involved in the financing business in the United States for a long time, I think I am able to provide interpretation and translation services related to business and finance.
I am a certified CPA in the United States.
In addition, for three years from April 2016, I will be engaged in Japanese-English translation work (part-time), and I can also handle translation work.
Although I don’t have a qualification in Spanish, but I think I can handle day to day conversation in Spanish without any problems.
My hobby is trekking and from time to time, take a walk around mountains near Tokyo like Mt. Takao, Tanzawa, etc. I think it is possible to provide tourist information here as well.
Since April 2015, I have been working as a Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Volunteer and Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Volunteer.
One more, I have a separate house near Asuka Village, Nara prefecture, and I stay there for a total of about 30 days every year and have been enjoying sightseeing personally in the vicinity. Therefore, I think in the Kansai region, especially in Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, etc., where I think I will be able to tour guide with confidence.